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But I’m trying to be Zen about it. The number of days of school Bean missed in Kindergarten versus Pre-K? Let’s just say the number declined dramatically. Ergo: children get exposed to germs as small children. Children develop immune systems. It appears to be true.

However. That said, I still want to minimize the days my sweet girl is laid up with a sore throat and stuffy nose and heaven knows if we can dodge that stomach bug bullet I’m ready to go all Matrix on your… well, you know.

And yet, it bothers me that the hand sanitizer that you buy in most drug stores, is painful if applied to cracked skin. Or skin with a bit of a cut. Before I give Bean a spritz she has taken to asking “Is this the stingy kind?” And when I first developed eczema (aka my mange), I was using a substantial amount of alcohol-based hand sanitizer every day to try to avoid catching a co-worker’s cold. A co-worker I had to kiss in a play, that is. Yeah I slathered the stuff on. Many hand sanitizers are alcohol-based. They strip the natural oils on the skin, leaving it germ-free, yes, but also potentially pretty dry. And irritated. And stingy.

So when the folks at safeHands offered us a sample of their non-alcohol based hand sanitizer to try, I was awfully eager to do so.

I’ll get to the fun stuff like the colors and scents in a minute, but the active ingredient in safeHands is Benzalkonium Chloride and not alcohol. OK, so I have just performed an extremely un-scientific experiment. I sprayed some of the safeHands foaming hand santizer directly on the small patch of mange on the third finger of my left hand. And it did not hurt. I repeat, it did not hurt. So if you are a hand-sanitzer user. And you or your children have sensitivity to or allergy to alcohol based hand sanitizers, I can say that in my experience safeHands is not painful. Like other non-alcohol based hand santizers, the liquid doesn’t evaporate instantly. It is a little wetter and leaves your hands feeling slightly sticky. But like I say, I don’t find it to sting or irritate my sensitive skin.

Furthermore, safeHands comes in several fun colors and fragrances–including Bubble Gum (pink), Cool Blue (blue), and Tooty Fruity (green). Needless to say they are not to be ingested, merely smelled.

That said, the active ingredient in safeHands is Benzalkonium Chloride, which is indeed a chemical. But it is generally recognized as “safe” at the concentrations used in hand sanitizers. If you’re concerned, obviously, do a little reading and come to your own judgement about it.

I’m still a big fan of thorough hand washing as the best way to eliminate those pesky germs. But if you’re looking for a non-irritating alcohol-free, non-stinging hand sanitizer to supplement, I’d definitely check out safeHands.

SafeHands is available at many Target retail stores around the country and on their website. And thanks to the folks at safeHands we’re giving away a safeHands germ-free kit filled with essential hand sanitizers including our Classic and safeSquirts line for children just in time for the onset of cold and flu season. Want to enter? Just use the handy Rafflecopter form below!